Marriage Redacted
by snarkysweetness
Summary: After a mission goes horribly wrong Grant decides to throw caution to the wind and asks Skye to marry him and they try and fail to keep their marriage a secret from the team or Grant and Skye are idiots who elope in Paris and Coulson is going to kill Ward when he finds out.
1. 01: Skye

**Title: **Marriage Redacted  
**Author:** snarkysweetness  
**Rating:** R  
**Pairings:** Skye/Grant, Phil/Melinda, & Antoine/Jemma/Leo  
**Summary:** After a mission goes horribly wrong Grant decides to throw caution to the wind and asks Skye to marry him and they try and fail to keep their marriage a secret from the team or Grant and Skye are idiots who elope in Paris and Coulson is going to kill Ward when he finds out.  
**Warnings:** Mild violence one would expect from spies, talk of sexy times, and Skye curses like a sailor home from leave.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.  
**Author's Notes: **I don't even know man; I just started writing this out of nowhere and here it is. Thanks to Annie for the title because if you think this is bad the one I had was worse.

"Skye? Skye!"

Skye's head throbbed and her vision swam. She blinked until Grant's face came into focus. "I think our cover's been blown," she muttered.

He closed his eyes with a sigh before smiling. "Yeah, maybe, come on, we have to get out of here." She closed her eyes and she felt him slapping her awake. "No, stay with me; you hit your head, don't leave me, sweetheart."

Skye fought to keep her eyes open but it was hard, she just wanted to-The scent of copper filled her nostrils and her eyes shot open. "You've been shot." She tried to press her hands into the wound to stop the bleeding but Grant, being the insufferably macho man that he was, simply scooped her into his arms.

"It's nothing," he insisted as an explosion sounded nearby. Oh yeah, their cover had totally been blown. Five days of playing house in this French villa had been for nothing…well, not _all_ for nothing. She'd gotten to pretend to be his wife, that had been nice, plus all of the sex had been pretty fucking amazing. If they had to die at least it was with their last sexual encounter being in a spacious bed instead of in one of their cramped pods on the bus where they had to be quiet.

She buried her face in his neck as the urge to sleep took over once again. Oh man, she'd hit her head _hard_. Grant dumped her onto the mattress before shoving a gun into her hand. She sat up and fought the dizziness as she reached for the hard drive she'd secured in her bra. Good, still there.

"Okay, we're going to make a run for it. My com's dead but there's a safe house fifty miles north east from here. I've barricaded the door, but they've got the run of the house, we're going to have to jump, can you manage-hey, Skye, look at me."

Grant dropped their pre-packed in-case-of-emergency escape bag onto the floor before taking her face in his hands. "Skye, can you do this?" She nodded and he reached under her dress, slid his hands up her thigh, and emerged with the blade she'd kept holstered there. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Sorry, sweetheart," he whispered before pressing the tip into her flesh.

Skye yelped in pain but it worked, she was suddenly alert. She shoved him away and kicked off her shoes. She repacked her holsters and ran for the window. She glanced outside. The drop was maybe fifteen feet, nothing she couldn't handle.

"Get back," she instructed when he approached her. She raised her gun and fired two rounds, breaking the glass. She glanced back as the Milieu thugs they'd infiltrated for information pounded on the door before meeting Grant's eyes. "Let's do this, lover," she teased as he took her hand.

They jumped together, landing on their feet and narrowly avoided getting shot. She ran and tossed him the keys before jumping into their escape vehicle. She armed herself with one gun in each hand and hung out the window, firing back. Grant floored the gas and Skye stopped firing once she was out of rounds and the villa disappeared from view.

She threw herself back into her seat with a chuckle before glancing towards her bleeding partner. "So, that isn't the worst vacation we've been on."

He sighed and reached over to take her hand. "Sweetheart, you and I have a very different definition of vacation."

Skye closed her eyes with a smirk. "You know, Nat would have thought this was a blast," she whispered before allowing herself to drift off to sleep.


	2. 02: Grant

"Would you sit still? For a man who's been shot before you're being a big baby," Skye muttered with a shake of her head.

He flinched as she caught his chin harshly to hold him in place while running antiseptic over the large gash on his temple. "It's not my fault you have the worst bedside manner," he complained as the stinging got worse. Skye rolled her eyes and began applying liquid stiches. She hadn't always been this way; there'd been a time when she was gentle but there were only so many bullets you could dig out before it became just another task. Sure, there'd always been a dark side to her, but never with the people had she loved, then he'd helped destroy that.

Or maybe this was how it was supposed to be. Looking back, she was always going to be the next Romanoff. She was smarter than most, good with computers, a master of manipulation, and lethal when the situation called for it. All of that wrapped into one beautiful package, he'd never stood a chance. She was always going to surpass his training and May's and anyone else who supervised her. Skye was a survivor. She was dangerous simply because she knew how to keep herself alive. She was deadly and he loved her so much he was sure it would be his undoing. She'd already unmade him once and he'd let her do it again if she pleased.

Grant caught her by the wrist and pulled her between his legs.

"I'm busy," she reminded him.

"I don't care," he muttered before leaning up to brush his lips over hers. She smiled and pressed her mouth to his before pulling away. He whined and she shook her head. "Not until I'm done, besides, we still have to call Coulson. I'm surprised he hasn't sent The Calvary in after us."

Grant groaned. The team wasn't even really his anymore, it was Skye's, but good ol' Coulson couldn't be contained within the walls of S.H.I.E.l.D. He needed his new and improved bus, his wife piloting the damn thing, and to hover around Skye like she was his teenaged daughter. Those three were a damn singular unit at times and it was fucking frightening. It reminded him of the way Fury, Hill, and Romanoff had been a team, though, he couldn't picture Romanoff being the rebellious child Skye could be at times, even if he had seen the shenanigans those two could get up to when left alone together for too long.

It scared the shit out of him to be honest.

He reached for his phone while she bandaged up where the bullet had grazed his abdomen. He winced again and he missed the days when he was able to mask his pain in front of her. Now there wasn't anything he could keep from her, well, except one thing…

"HOW IN THE HELL WAS YOUR COVER BLOWN? WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAUGHTER? I SWEAR TO GOD WARD, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"

Skye whistled as Grant put the phone on speaker.

"Don't worry, D.C., I'm fine. My partner here's the one crying over a little bullet wound."

When he'd first heard Coulson's new nickname he hadn't been sure what disturbed him more; the fact that it stood for 'Daddy Coulson' and not 'Director Coulson' or the way May's eyes had lit up at the word 'daddy'. He almost shuddered at the memory. No, it was the latter, definitely the latter.

"As far as our cover, that would be because of Quinn, sir. He spotted us tonight, probably only let us get away thinking we'd lead him to the team, but it didn't stop him from sending the Corsicans after us. I warned you Quinn could be a problem sir."

Skye gave him a 'why did you go there' glare right before Coulson launched into more yelling.

"Who in the hell else was I supposed to send out there, Ward? My girl's the best damn spy we have and for some reason she's chosen you as a partner. Were it up to me, Trip would have gone in with her."

"Yeah, well if Romanoff hadn't burned herself five years ago, we could have sent her and Barton in-"

"D.C. we got the information we needed, that's what matters," Skye interrupted. They both knew where this argument would go and she'd had enough of it. Coulson trusted him back on the team but that was where it ended. It was why they had to sneak around and hide their relationship, Grant knew Coulson would never approve and no matter what Skye claimed his approval mattered to her.

"Are you at the safe house? We can be there in three-"

"Yes, but don't. We're safe here. If you come now it may draw attention. Just take care of the mess we left behind and come for us in the morning."

"You need a doctor," Grant reminded her.

"Why?" Man, Coulson was pissed.

"She might have a concuss-"

"I was fine enough to patch you up, Ward. I'll be fine until the morning. I just want to go to bed for a few hours." She met his eyes with a smirk and winked. Warmth filled his chest. _Well then_.

"You know I don't like it when you're-"

"D.C. I'm a grown woman and I trust Ward with my life. We'll be fine for another twelve hours. I'll see you in the morning."

Grant rolled his eyes. Were it up to Coulson Skye would wear a chastity belt at all times.

Coulson growled from the line and he could hear May muttering in the background. Coulson eventually sighed. "Fine, but take me off speaker, will you?"

"Yeah, give me a minute." Skye finished placing Grant's bandage before taking the phone. She walked away and he began putting their medical kit away while watching her.

"I told you, it's not too soon. I don't care, if Nat's game then I'm-look, Trip is great, but I'm better-what do you mean you don't need two hacker-D.C. I don't need to spend more time on the damn bus, I'm good to go-no, I'm not letting you ask Ward for his opinion, he'll just agree with you."

He smirked. She wasn't wrong. It drove him crazy when she went on missions without him. He could deal when she was with Trip, he trusted Trip to bring her back alive, but Nat…he didn't know how Barton was still alive.

"Yeah, I love you too, bye."

"It's cute, he's the director and he's capable of being brought down because he wants to play daddy," Grant teased and she rolled her eyes. It scared him, she was already in enough danger without being Coulson's weakness, but he knew full well she could handle herself.

"Shut up," she said as she sauntered towards him. He caught her by the waist and leaned down to kiss her. She pressed her lips to his and reached up to run her fingers through his hair. "We both need a shower," she muttered as she trailed her hands down his face and then over his shoulders.

"Why, I have plans to get you dirt-"

Skye shoved him off her playfully. "I mean it, you're all bloody, it's gross."

She could kill men with her thumb but blood was 'gross'. He shook his head. She'd always be _his_ Skye, not matter how bad-ass she got.

Grant took her hand and linked their fingers before playing with the wedding ring still on her finger. "Well, Mrs. Nolan," he teased. "I do suspect our honeymoon's over and I'd like to enjoy what we have left of it."

"Well, then join me in the shower and we can see about that," she replied with a wink before continuing to the bathroom, stripping her dress off as she went. Grant watched her with appreciation before following.

"Don't ever do that to me again," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Do what?"

"Make me think I'm about to lose you again."

He'd nearly lost her when she'd been shot all those years ago and then really lost her because of the man he used to be. She'd helped him heal, put himself back together, he couldn't bear the thought of living his life without her, not again.

Skye turned her head and pressed her lips to his.

"I can't promise you that, you always think you're going to lose me," she whispered and she wasn't wrong.

* * *

"Did you remember to grab my necklaces," Skye called as she dug through the bag for something to wear. She reached into an inner pocket and-

"No! NOT THERE!"

But it was too late. Skye pulled out a small box from the bag and turned it over in her hand before looking at him. "Grant, what the hell is this?"

He ran a hand over the back of his neck, trying to find the words. He couldn't lie to her but how did he explain this? "Well, um…"

Skye popped it open and then let out a gasp. "Did you…is this…" she pulled the ring from the box and studied it before tears came to her eyes. "It _is_."

He closed his eyes, embarrassed. He'd bought the stupid thing because it was the one she'd wanted. Back when they'd first had a mission playing husband and wife Coulson had sent them to buy accessories and while Skye had fallen in love with a tasteful ring the kind of jobs they went on required ostentatious looking things so Coulson had given her a 'no'. But he'd gone back and bought the damn thing anyway just so some day, when he found the nerve, he could see the look on her face when he gave it to her.

And now she'd found it which was his fault for not giving it to her sooner.

"That was like…what two, three years….you've been carrying this around with your for three years? When in the hell were you planning to ask me?"

"Now," he blurted out.

"What?"

He was an idiot.

Grant took three long steps towards her and took the ring out of her hand before slipping it onto her finger. "Marry me tonight."

Skye stared up at him in shock. "Grant-"

"I mean it. Every mission we go on is more dangerous than the last. I don't want to lose you without having been married to you."

"Grant," she whispered as she reached up to touch his cheek. "How are we supposed to explain to the team that we're engaged and that we need them to come watch us get married when they don't even know we're back together?"

"We don't have to tell them. I mean, we will, but we can just get married and worry about it later. We're an hour from Paris, we can go and do it and be back before morning. And when we tell them we can have another wedding. But you and I both know in this business we're never having that white wedding and the team will get over it eventually. They've gotten over worse."

"_You_ want to be irresponsible and elope? This is crazy! Coulson and May will kill you when they find out! And do you know how hurt Fitz will be?" Skye sighed and looked down at the ring on her finger. He could see she was struggling with her decision. "Now? Tonight? Like we just drive to Paris and get…where would we even get married?"

He wasn't exactly the stick-in-the-mud she'd fell in love with but this was crazy even for the real Grant.

"Yes. I don't care. I love you and I just want to be married to you. We'll bribe someone into doing it for us or you can create a marriage license by hacking into a system in the U.S., I don't care; just say 'yes'." He traced his thumb over her chin as he stared down at her, begging her with his eyes to just say 'to hell with it' and marry him.

Skye gnawed on her lower lip for the longest moment of his life before smirking. "I'll need fifteen minutes to hack into the LA County Clerk's office to get us a marriage license, can't get married on foreign soil without it."

He sighed in relief and took her face in his hands, kissing her deeply. "I love you," he whispered as he broke away.

"Yeah? You're okay, I guess," she teased and he kissed her again, more passionately this time.

Skye broke away with a grin and red cheeks. "Hey, save it for the honeymoon, buddy."


	3. 03: Skye

Skye groaned as she woke. Her head had felt fine last night but she was pretty sure Grant had banged it into the headboard on accident last night (and repeatedly). Apparently, eloping really turned him on. They hadn't fucked like that in months.

She opened her eyes to find him half on top of her. He held her tightly and though she had to pee she felt too comfortable in his embrace to want to move. She reached up to cup his face and noticed her ring and smiled. She remembered picking it out at some bourgeois store in New York before a mission. It was just…_her_; small, simple, but beautiful. She hated the damn thing she had to wear on missions. It was too heavy and clunky but it did make punching dudes in the face a lot more painful for them so there was that.

It was insane for them to have eloped. She'd always wanted a real wedding even if she knew it was improbable. They were always on the move, there was zero time to plan such an event, and it wasn't as if either of them was traditional. Still, it would have been nice to have their little family at their side. Jemma would cry, Fitz would be, well, _Fitz_, and Trip would find a way to involve strippers. Mom and dad on the other hand…well, they'd show up and pretend to approve, which was all she could ask for.

_Someday_, she told herself. Someday when they weren't worried about dying and when he was brave enough to tell the team about their relationship and when he was ready to be happy for real. Last night had been a big step but she knew the real reason he wanted to stay hidden; his guilt.

No matter how many times she reminded him that he'd not only been given forgiveness but more than earned it he still harbored it. He didn't want to be happy. Sure, they had their moments but he was terrified of it. He didn't think he deserved it which was why she'd let the charade go on for so long but now…

Well, he couldn't honestly expect her to go another three years of sneaking around. It had been fun at first, with the whole forbidden love and stolen moments, but they were _married_ now.

Holy shit…_married_…

Skye smiled and buried her face in his neck. Who would have thought S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agent since Romanoff and a former sleeper agent would be married? Even she couldn't believe it.

She felt Grant stir. "Morning Mrs. Ward," he greeted through a yawn. He tightened his arms around her as he buried his face in her hair.

"Morning to you too, Mr. Ward," she teased before pulling away quickly. "Hey! I have a last name."

Grant laughed and leaned down, capturing her lips with his. "Indeed," he kissed her again, slowly this time. By the time he pulled away her toes were curled and she clutched his hair in her hands. "Coulson's going to kill me, isn't he?" He muttered against her lips. He'd tried and failed to get Skye to take his or May's name just so she'd have one officially but his girl was a rebel and refused.

"Don't worry, I won't let him. You belong to me now," she whispered as she pressed her mouth to his once more.

Coulson would so _not_ approve but when it came to Grant she didn't care. She loved him. He'd been a broken shell of a man when she'd met him and yes, he'd done horrible things, but so had Nat and they'd both made amends for them. She'd tried and failed to hate him and she hoped D.C. understood that when it came time to tell him.

"Are you really up for round four?" They'd slept maybe an hour, having gone at it all night. She was going to miss having him whenever she felt like it and being able to take their time and hearing him call her name.

"Always," he muttered as he kissed her. His erection pressed into her thigh and well, that wouldn't do. She pushed him onto his back where he belonged and straddled him, pinning to the bed. She traced her fingers over each muscle while his hands dug into her hair and-

A door slammed and they pulled away like magnets.

"Shit! It's the team!" She'd almost forgotten they were coming. She threw on the first things she could find while Grant did the same. She pressed her lips to his quickly before rushing out of the room and running smack dab into May.

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyy May, what's up?" She saw D.C. emerge from the second and empty bedroom and tried to think of a lie.

"Skye, there you are, I was worried. What the-"

"Morning, sir."

Skye had a moment of déjà vu to the old Grant before appreciating how calm he seemed.

"Were you in there with him?" D.C. asked, glaring at Skye.

She opened her mouth but Grant spoke first. "Yes, sir. I didn't want to risk Skye being left alone in case she does have a concussion. I stayed up most of the night keeping an eye on her. She seems to be fine but I still think she should get a CAT-scan to be safe."

May didn't seem to be buying it but D.C. began to fret over her.

"Jesus, Skye, this bump is-"

"Oww, D.C. that hurts," she whined as he pressed his fingers into the contusion.

"Sorry, baby girl. Did anything else happen? You weren't shot were you? I hate when you get shot-"

Skye sighed and glanced back at Grant who was staring at her hand in horror. Oh shit, she'd forgotten to take off her wedding ring. She put her hands together and did her best to hide it while she listened to D.C. continue on with his worried father rant.

* * *

"No, you're my wife, and I say we stay in bed," Grant muttered as he pulled her closer.

She chuckled and squirmed against him. "I can't, I have training with Trip this morning, I think he's going to know something's up when I come out of your room with my sex hair." It was a miracle they'd hidden their relationship for so long; her sex hair was horrible.

"We're training right now," he whispered as he slipped his hand between her legs.

Skye sighed and reluctantly pulled away. "Later. We're landing in New York this afternoon and you know what that means?"

"Hotel rooms?"

"Hotel rooms," she replied with a smirk and kissed him. She threw on her clothes and pulled her hair into a very messy bun. She poked her head out of his room to make sure the coast was clear. When she tried to leave Grant was at her back, his arms around her middle, kissing her neck, and trying to pull her into the room.

"Grant," she whined as he found the spot on her neck that always left her weak in the knees.

"Do you think we'll ever have a house somewhere where we can stay for days on end and just be Mr. and Mrs. Ward, not Agent Ward and Agent Skye?"

She sighed and leaned into him.

"Honestly? No. But…we can pretend."

He smiled and kissed her. "At least my wife doesn't lie to me."

She chuckled and pulled away when she heard footsteps. "Later," she whispered with a final kiss before disappearing to the staircase. She ran down to the training room and spotted Trip. "I know, I know, I'm late-"

"You. Me. Office. _Now_."

Skye froze and turned around to find May with her arms crossed glaring at Skye.

_Oh shit._

She glanced back to find Trip shrugging. "I'll just hit the bag, baby girl, no worries."

She nodded before following May to her office. Skye hadn't even seen her, but she'd known someone was coming. How much had she seen? Even worse, how much had she heard? Oh God, Coulson would be heartbroken if she wasn't the one to tell him…

"How long have you and Ward been sleeping together?" May asked the moment they stepped into her office, not wasting any time.

Skye sighed in relief. "What?"

"I saw the two of you leaving his room. How. Long."

She didn't know they were married. Good. They kept their wedding rings hidden in a safe in her pod and had continued on like normal, but they were getting sloppy, obviously.

"Um…awhile."

"How long is awhile?"

Skye made a face, knowing she could easily lie to May but she didn't want to. She just wanted someone to know and May was here and she already knew they were together, so…

"Three years?"

May threw her hands up and Skye could feel it; a mom lecture was coming. The only thing scarier than The Calvary was Mama Bear.

"YOU'VE BEEN IN A RELATIONSHIP FOR THREE YEARS AND YOU HAVEN'T TOLD ANYONE? And I know you, Skye, this isn't just sex, it never is with you and three years! Your-oh…Coulson is going to-" May began making a choking motion with her hands and Skye scrunched up her nose. It was never good when Mama May had words but when she couldn't find them? Even worse.

"Please, that's why I haven't told anyone. Grant…he still feels guilty about everything and like he doesn't deserve me and he doesn't want D.C. to throw him off the team and….please, May. I don't know how to tell him but I promise you when we're ready we'll tell the whole team."

May's jaw twitched.

"Are you in love with him?"

Skye gave May a 'look'.

"Right. You always have been, haven't you? And he…I'm not going to lie for you, Skye. It's time."

"I know and I'm working on it, I promise."

"Two weeks, you have two weeks and then I'm telling him. He needs to know. You're breaking-"

"May don't get on me about rules." Everyone on this bus was breaking the fraternization rules. Hell, she didn't know why D.C. had kept those in place seeing as he'd been breaking them when he rebuilt S.H.I.E.L.D. She was sure he and May had only tied the knot to set an example. Plus…well, mom and dad needed to be together, obviously.

"Two. Weeks."

"Fine, mom," she muttered and May rolled her eyes before following Skye out of the office and back to the training pad.

"How long until we-see!" Skye halted at the sight of poor Fitz pinned down to the couch by Jemma while her mouth attacked his with Trip off to the side. "Come on you three, you have a real bedroom! Why the fuck do I have a shitty pod if you three aren't even going to use it?"

"Hey, I'm just waiting for you," Trip replied innocently.

Skye lifted an eyebrow. "Then why is her hand in your-"

"I'll be in the cockpit," May muttered with a shake of her head. "We're landing in ten minutes. Try to keep it in your pants until then. And that goes for all of _you_." May directed that last one at Skye and she rolled her eyes.

Skye watched May leave and turned to go get her bag ready and ran into Grant emerging from his pod. She gave him a smile before taking his arm and leading him back into his bunk. "Come on, partner, unless you want to watch a free sex show."

"I HEARD THAT!"

"You were meant to, Jemma," Skye called and let the pod door close behind her before attacking Grant's mouth with her own.

When she pulled away she smirked up at him. "That's a preview of what's coming later," she teased. She turned to leave and then glanced back with an innocent smile. "By the way, May knows we're sleeping together, so…after the next mission, I think we should tell the team we're married. I'll let you figure out how to do that, okay bye now," she said hurriedly before leaving a dumbstruck Grant alone in his bunk.


	4. 04: Grant

"Do you really not mind that Simmons and Trip are alone right now," Grant asked from his stool as he watched Fitz tinker with the D.W.A.R.F.S. It drove him crazy just thinking about anyone looking at Skye let alone sharing her with anyone. They'd only been married for a few weeks and the thought of trying to handle being committed to two people seemed like too much work. He didn't know how Fitztrimmons did it.

Fitz gave him a shrug. "We spent the whole weekend together, Ward. I'm not going to lie around when there's work to be done here in the lab. Besides, I get my alone time with Jemma when Trip is off training before dawn and he and I get alone time when she decides to work through the night. Sometimes I think the girl wears us down with sex just so she can have alone time in here."

Grant smirked. It had been weird at first, not because the three were a couple but because he'd gotten so used to Fitzsimmons as a single entity that seeing them melded with a third was just…jarring. Fitz's recovery had sparked it, really. Instead of growing more dependent on Jemma he'd bonded with Trip who'd bonded with Jemma during Fitz's coma and well…now they were all one unit, which made sense. Fitzsimmons were the same person so why not find another person they could be with?

He wondered if he and Skye were like that; a single unit. The way Barton and Romanoff or Coulson and May were; one entity that could exist separately but worked better together. What did they look like to the team?

He opened his mouth, wanting to confess everything to Fitz and immediately closed it.

"What did you do on our weekend off, mate? I went by your room but you were gone. Did you finally find a bird to take your mind off of Skye? Lord knows you could use a good shag."

Grant glanced up quickly. "What?" He asked weakly.

Fitz looked up from his work for the first time since Grant had joined him with a smile. "Come on, Ward, everyone knows you're still in love with her. You've always loved Skye. She's the one weak-" Fitz seemed to realize his choice of words and sighed. "She's the one lie you can't tell, mate. It's why Coulson's so hard on you, she'd his baby girl, and if I had a daughter and a man looked at her the way you look at Skye, I'd want to kill him."

Grant frowned. He thought he'd gotten better about hiding it but he shouldn't be surprised. He and Skye had only come back together romantically because she'd thrown down a knife while making a sandwich, put her hands on her hips, and glared at him before railing on about how she was sick of waiting for him to finally make a move and if he insisted on giving her the lovesick puppy gaze all day the least he could do was kiss her already because sometimes a good needed to be kissed. So, he had (mostly to shut her up). And then they may or may not have fucked for the first time on the kitchen table; and then every inch of the bus, repeatedly.

"No, I uh…" He couldn't do this anymore. Fitz was his best friend. His best friend whom he'd nearly killed. He owed him the truth. "Fitz, I need to tell you something, but I don't want you to…you need to understand I didn't keep it from you to hurt you, I just…it's something I wasn't…"

"How long have you and Skye been back together, mate," Fitz asked with a smirk as he put a piece back together with a screwdriver.

Grant sighed. "Shit, does everyone know?"

"Coulson thinks it's one-sided, May totally knows, Jemma has no clue, I mean…she suspects but she thinks if you were Skye would be sprogged up by now with the amount of time you two spend alone on missions, and Trip doesn't care.

Well…I take that back. He totally wanted our kid to marry your kid, so he might care a little.

But that's beside the point; you didn't answer my question, how long?

Was it after Malta? Or Argentina? Or Paris? Skye was in a really good mood after Paris-"

"Moscow," he replied quietly, unable to meet Fitz's eyes.

"Mos-that's like a year, mate. You kept this from us for a year?"

"No, not that trip to Moscow, one further back, about…three years and yunno…a few months."

Fitz dropped poor Sleepy before gaping at him. "Three…how…Jemma and Trip and I couldn't even keep it secret for a day! How have you managed all of this…is it just…no…it's not just sex, I know you, Ward, when it comes to Skye…how? Why? Why would you lie to everyone, Ward? I thought you were done with the lies, mate!"

Fitz wasn't angry just hurt and Grant hated that he was the reason.

"We didn't mean for it to go on this long, I just…"

He closed his eyes with a sigh. His therapist had warned him against keeping his emotions in and when it came to Fitz he needed to lay it all out there. He'd hurt Fitz the most and he couldn't keep this from him.

"It didn't seem fair at first, okay? I mean, what I did…I still can't forgive myself, Fitz, and I'm trying, really hard, but I can't. And then you were the first to forgive me when I hurt you the worst and then Skye…it seemed too good to be true. I loved her and she was willing to take me back and I didn't think it would last and when it did…

I felt guilty, being so happy.

You were still struggling, Fitz, and I know you forgave me but…

Things were really hard for you, then, Fitz, and it didn't seem right, flaunting that in front of you. And then it just got easy to keep hiding it. I got the girl and I didn't have to deal with the fallout with Coulson and time just flew by and I didn't even realize how long it'd been going on until Paris."

Grant really hoped this one lie didn't undo all of the progress he and Fitz had made over the past five years.

"Grant…you have to…you can't hold on to this guilt, mate. It's not healthy and it's not fair to Skye. I mean, she deserves for you to be out in the open."

Grant sighed. "I know, but I took a big step forward, and we're going to tell everyone soon, once we figure out…." He frowned. "Can I tell you one more secret and you'll promise not to get mad?"

"I swear to God, mate, if she's sprogged and that's why you want to tell everyone-"

He laughed.

"Fitz, if I get Skye pregnant there's no way in hell I'm telling anyone, I'd be too busy running from Coulson or dead because of May. No, it's about Paris and you see I really need your advice on how to tell the team…"

* * *

"What the hell, Phil!? Pull her out, _now_!"

Grant doesn't give two fucks that Phil is the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and his boss and the one who could throw him off the team and away from Skye, he's in his face. This is his _wife_ they're talking about! Coulson's surrogate daughter! He was being an asshole about this. This was not the time to be the boss; this was the time for him to be the pain-in-the-ass dad he was ninety-nine percent of the time.

"No! Trip is out we need her in there. If Leviathan is able to get its hands on this intel it's going to be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s downfall all over again. Do you think Skye wants that? This is her family, she's not going to be happy if we send in a team after her, let her do her job, Ward. She's not your rookie anymore!"

"She's my partner! I told you I should be there with her! And she won't care about your stupid procedures if she's dead!"

"You were shot three days ago; there is no way in hell I was sending you in there! And this is Skye! She'll be fine! She has to be fine!"

"HER COVER IS BLOWN, PHIL! SHE'S NOT GOING TO BE FINE BECAUSE YOU WANT HER TO BE!"

"Hey, both of you stand down, _now_!" May snapped.

"Not now, Melinda."

"Director," she insisted. "Stand down." She wasn't his wife right now she was Commander May and Coulson knew better. Coulson wasn't happy but he walked away. May turned her attention to Grant. "And you, Agent Ward, watch how you talk to your superiors. I get you want your partner alive, but this is not the time."

She stepped closer and dropped her voice. "And if you don't want Coulson to know you're sleeping with her, you're doing a shitty job of hiding it."

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't care anymore," he replied angrily.

This was bullshit. They were on the way to a hospital, Trip had been shot twice. Fitzsimmons were losing it with worry and Phil was….

"This is too dangerous; she needs an extraction team, now, Director. I know she's good but she isn't Romanoff. Are you really willing to lose her over this? Get her out and send Romanoff in, we can still get this mission done."

"It's too risky. She'll be fine-"

Phil's phone rang and he answered it. Grant could only hear one side but it sounded like Skye was still inside the compound, hacking her way into the system.

"Can you get back in safely?"

Grant opened his mouth to argue but May cut him off.

"Phil, _no_. If she's hacked the system bring her home. We've got one kid bleeding out in the hospital, do you want another?"

Grant could see his desire to get the job done batting with his fatherly instincts. "Skye, listen to me, you get out of there, got it? If you're not out of there in fifteen minutes I'm sending in the extraction team."

He sighed in relief before taking a set and burying his head in his hands. He couldn't keep doing this. Having his wife in the field…this was worse. Before they'd been married it'd been hard but now…it was driving him insane.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Leave him; he's just worried about Skye."

"Yeah, well, that's my job, not his."

Grant lifted his head, ready to tell him off when the phone rang again. His heart lurched as a feeling of dread spread over him. He watched as Coulson's face fell and he just knew…

He wasn't sure what he threw but the crashing sent them all into another argument.

"What the hell happened, Phil?" May was pissed.

"Skye's been shot, she was on her way out when it happened, the team has her, she's on her way to the hospital-"

"I told you to get her out!" Grant yelled.

"Back off," May warned.

"I am not losing the woman I love because Coulson's obsession with taking down Leviathan has made him blind to the needs of the team!"

"I knew you were still ob-"

"ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU!" They turned to find a tearful Simmons in the doorway. "Trip may be dying and Skye's been shot and all you want to do is fight? We're supposed to be a family! Anyone who can't behave isn't going into the hospital with me, they need to get better not listen to you all bicker like schoolchildren," she scolded.

May placed a hand on Coulson's arm to calm him but Grant wasn't in the mood for this kumbaya shit. He was livid. Skye could be dying and…he couldn't handle this bullshit. He stormed out of the room and found Fitz who was the only person who could understand what he was going through.

* * *

Grant sat impatiently, tapping his foot. He'd been pacing until Fitz had calmly talked him into sitting. Poor Fitz, he had Jemma crying on him from one side, and Grant seething on the other.

"Ward, she'll be-"

"Don't worry about me, take care of your girl," Grant whispered, glancing over at Jemma who had Fitz's shirt in her first and her head buried in his neck, sobbing quietly. He hadn't seen her like this…well, ever. There were only so many near-deaths even the strongest of them could handle and Jemma was. "Take care of her the way I apparently can't take care of mine."

"Ward…" Fitz began but Grant was already up, pacing again.

"Director?"

They all froze as one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors emerged and Coulson was on his feet. "How are they?"

"Agent Triplett made it out of surgery with no complications. The bullets didn't hit any organs or arteries, but he did lost a fair amount of blood. We gave him a blood transfusion and he'll need a few weeks of recovery time but there won't be any permanent damage."

Fitzsimmons sighed in relief.

"And Skye?"

"Agent Skye took a bullet to the shoulder. It went through some old scar tissue and was lodged but we got it out."

"And?"

"I'm afraid that's all I can discuss with you, Director. Which one of you is Agent Ward?"

Grant could feel all eyes on his and when he looked they were, all except Fitz who was staring down at his hands. He turned his attention back to the doctor. "That's me," he whispered, ignoring Coulson's death stare.

"We can go to my offi-"

"Here is fine."

If something was wrong with Skye the team would find out anyway.

"Very well. I'm putting her on leave. The baby is fine but she really shouldn't be in the f-"

"The what?" The floor fell out from under him and he could feel the blood leaving his face. He could barely make out what was going on around him but he caught Coulson's ranting. Something about 'why the fuck is he telling him' and 'how in the fuck did that asshole knock her up she's smarter than that'.

He felt a hand on his arm and he looked to find Fitz giving him a small nod. He glanced back to find the doctor watching him expectantly. "What?" He'd missed what he said.

The doctor held out Skye's file which held a sonogram picture. He couldn't make out a damn thing it just looked like a uterus to him. "She's only three weeks along but if she plans to stay that way I want her out of the field. This is the fifth time she's been shot; a person's body can only handle so many bullet wounds in one lifetime, Agent Ward."

"Right, I'll…good. Do. That."

Skye was…and he was going to…and…well, _shit_.

"You can see your wife now if you'd like, she's been asking for you."

"HIS _WHAT_?"

"Calm down, Phil-"

"I WILL NOT!"

"Come on, Ward, you can deal with him later," Fitz whispered. "Can Agent Simmons and I see Agent Triplett?" The doctor nodded and Jemma was instantly at Fitz's side, clutching his hand.

Grant let Fitz lead him because he was still too stunned to process anything.

"You okay to go in alone, Ward?"

Grant nodded and muttered a 'thanks' while he stared at Skye through the small window.

"Did you know about this, Fitz?"

"Well…"

Grant numbly entered Skye's room. She glanced up with a smile and then her face fell. "Oh, they told you?"

"You're okay?" He whispered weakly.

Skye nodded and he moved closer to her bed. "And the baby's-"

"Fine. Apparently it's a thing that exists so…surprise!"

Grant took her hand before pressing his lips to her face, kissing every inch of it desperately. "Don't ever do that to me again; you promised." He pressed his forehead to hers and fought back tears. "I can't…Jesus, Skye; a _baby_?"

Skye pressed her mouth to his temple before grasping his hand with hers. "I'm sorry, Grant, if I'd known…" She sighed with a shrug. "How could I know?"

He moved his hands to cup her face and kissed her deeply. "We're getting that house and you're getting that white wedding and-"

"Our kid is going to have everything we never had," she finished.

He nodded. "Damn right."

Skye leaned back with a shaky sigh. "Oh shit, we're having a kid," she whispered as the reality hit her. "Goddammit, I let you talk me into marriage and then you knock me up. D.C.'s going to have a heart attack when we dump all of this on him."

"About that…"

"Hey, mama, ready for a roommate?" Trip's voice filled the air as two nurses wheeled him in.

"Everyone knows, don't they," Skye asked, horrified.

Grant pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Yeah, sorry about that. If it helps, Fitz's known for a while."

She smiled. "You told someone on your own? Or were we caught."

"Nah, I couldn't lie to Fitz."

Soon the entire team was alone in the room.

"So…you two are married? That's nice." Jemma said, breaking the silence awkwardly. "I'd ask how you could keep that from us but…" She eyed Coulson who stood against the wall with his arms crossed, watching Grant like he was ready to murder him with his bare hands.

"For fuck's sake, Skye, you didn't tell me you'd married him," May said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, so you could kill him? I don't think so."

"You knew about this!?"

May shot Coulson a 'husband please' look. "Of course I did. Do you really think anyone on that damn bus could be sleeping around without me knowing about it? Sound travels, you know. But I didn't think she was stupid enough to get married."

Skye shrugged. "Uh…surprise?"

Trip sat in his bed holding Jemma's hand with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just…I can't believe you had any of them fooled."

"Oh and you knew?" Skye gave Trip a 'please' glare.

"'Oh, Mrs. Ward, that's the spot, right there'," he mocked. "With as much sex as you two have in the gym I'm surprised I was the only one who caught you."

"You weren't," May muttered.

"Jesus Christ," Coulson hissed as Skye hid her face.

"D.C…." she whispered after a moment and looked up and for a brief flicker she wasn't Agent Skye she was a scared little girl facing her father. "I'm sorry…we just…it was stupid, we eloped and we hadn't even told you we were together so I didn't know how to tell you. I know you're mad at me but-"

Coulson had Skye in his arms and she released Grant's hand so she could hug him back. He could see relief flood her face before she started crying. "I'm going to be a grandpa?" Skye nodded weakly before he released her. Coulson wiped her eyes and gave her a smile. "It's about time; I was starting to lose hope because those three seem to want to wait until I'm dead."

Jemma snorted. "Yeah, I don't care how much these two beg and you want it, it's not happening until I'm down to my last eggs." And then she began to mutter about how they should all fuck each other and have their own damn children because she had science to do and no time for babies.

Coulson chuckled before pressing a kiss to Skye's forehead. "No more getting shot."

"Sure thing."

"And that goes for all of you," Coulson said before setting his sights on Grant.

He froze, knowing he couldn't escape. May would get to him first, if he was going to die, he was going to go down like a man.

But Coulson shocked everyone in the room by hugging him tightly. "It's about time you stopped brooding and gave my girl what she wants" Grant stared over his shoulder at Skye and she shook her head. Coulson didn't need to know how long they'd been satisfying her 'wants'. "You're a good kid, but I swear, if you hurt her again I will let torture you within an inch of your life and then let you heal before torturing you myself, got it?"

"Right, sir."

"Good," Coulson said as he pulled away and clapped him on the back. "So…let's plan a real wedding."


	5. 05: Skye

Skye stretched out like a cat before curling back against Grant's side. This was nice. No missions, nowhere to be, they were just…two married idiots on their honeymoon. She thought it would drive her crazy, being away from work for this long, but she loved it. She got to sleep in, be naked all the time, wake up with Grant beside her, and eat waffles all day.

This was the life and she did not want to return back to the bus, especially since it meant working from the bus while Grant sacrificed his life.

But…

Well, when they got back they wouldn't have to hide and she was kind of looking forward to spending the rest of her life openly being Mrs. Ward.

Grant slipped his arms around her and pulled her closer before pressing his lips to her neck. "Ready for breakfast, wife?" He moved a hand to her abdomen and gave her not-yet-existent bump a rub.

Skye shook her head. "No, I just want to lie here for a while, this is nice," she whispered before closing her eyes. "But if you want to work up an appetite, I won't object," she added with a coy smirk.

And Grant Ward didn't need to be told twice.


End file.
